About THE PREGAME

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THE PREGAME is a weekly series on the space before competition.

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The hour before a game is the most important hour in youth sports. It's where athletes tighten up or loosen up. Where parents say the wrong thing or the right thing. Where coaches set the tone — or lose it.

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Almost no one manages it intentionally.

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Each issue takes 60 seconds to read and covers one specific pregame moment — the car ride, the night before, the parking lot, the warmup — with one insight on what's actually happening, and one thing to try before the next game.

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One moment. One insight. One thing to try.

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THE PREGAME is grounded in the sport psychology frameworks of Dr. Alex Auerbach, former performance psychologist for the Toronto Raptors. It covers game day, pre-season, tryouts, showcases, and recruiting — every threshold moment in a young athlete's year.

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